MoonNight (10 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
When: Saturday
, July
18

 
 
 
 
 
 
Where: Ashton ball building 4

 
 
 
“Of course,” I told him.

 
 
 
His tan fingers laced through my lighter ones.
 
We just sat there peacefully until the nurses forced him to leave.
 
Reluctantly he gently kissed my forehead before the Ricolis walked in.
 

 
 
 
Heather gave me a hug, not mad in the least.
 
Jason questioned me on everything while Lea handed me a bouquet of wild peonies.
 
Rifle stared nervously out the window not even acknowledging me once.
 

 
 
 
“I was so worried,” Heather said.
 
“You never came back from that walk until the werewolves told me. But now you are safe and I brought you a gift.
 
Carls-“

 
 
 
“Carson,” I corrected.

 
 
 
“Ah yes, well I heard he was asking you to a formal so
i
got you this.”

 
 
 
She held up a beautiful red mermaid dress.
 
Strapless with a heart neckline and huge silver jewels covered the waist line.
 
Even though
i
was never the fashion geek,
i
thought this was pretty entrancing.
 

 
 
 
“Thank you,”
i
whispered.

 
 
 
The last visitors came, my parents.
 
My six foot father and five eight
mother came in.
 
Everyone said I
looked like my mother.
 
Medium length auburn hair and bright blue eyes.
 

 
 
 
“Oh Leslie,” my mom rushed to give me a hug, my dad plopped down on the chair Carson had left.
 
 
 
“When they called about a car-crash I was so worried.”

 
 
 
“I’m fine mom,” I assured her.

 
 
 
“So do you want to finish high school in Alaska?
 
Because
your father and I
just thought it would be good to put you in a private school for handicaps.”

 
 
 
“Mom!
 
Get real!” I rolled my eyes.
 
“I have friends here, special friends.”
 
There were lots of reasons I wanted to stay.
 
Because of Carson, for Rosa, with Loren, to protect, if I went back home I would only be endangering my parents from a vampire in the heart of a big city.
 
“I just need to finish school here and I don’t know what I’ll do after that.”

 
 
 
“It’s your choice honey.
 
That Carson kid seems too mature for you.
 
But that’s all I’m going to say.”

 
 
 
“Thanks for caring mom,” I told her.

 
 
 
We parted and I nodded to my dad without a single word.

 
 
 
Two days went by painfully with god knows how many tubes running in and out of me.
 
At last I was released with about five different medications I knew I was never going to take and tons of instructional books the first garbage can was going to eat.
 
Loren was waiting in the red convertible just as Carson had promised in a previous phone call.

 
 
 
“You okay?”
 
Loren asked me when we made it on to the highway.

 
 
 
“Yeah they just sent me out with a bag of medications.”
 
I held it up before tossing it out the window.

 
 
 
“Leslie!”
 
Loren slammed on the brakes making an illegal U-turn on the near empty street.
 
“You need those.”

 
 
 
“Do not,” I exclaimed.

 
 
 
“Damn you Leslie! Fine we’ll see.”

 
 
 
We made it back to the school eventually.
 
I found Carson and ran straight in to his arms.

 
 
 
“Come on,” he said.
 
“Come up to your dorm and get something to eat then we’re driving down to Yakutat for Rosas’.....”
 
He trailed off.
 
I didn’t blame him.
 

 
 
 
“It’s my fault.”
 
I told him.

 
 
 
“No it’s mine because I couldn’t keep my selfish self away from you.”

 
 
 
“Fine it’s both of our faults.”

                                        
Chapter 6

That settled it until we got to my dorm.
 
Much to my surprise my stuff was in there and so was Emi.
 
I ran to the bathroom immediately to look at myself in the mirror.
 
Every part of me was healed except for one long white claw mark running down the side of my face.
 
Carson came up behind me and pressed me against his muscled front.
 
I just stared speechless.
 
Surprised really that my mom hadn’t questioned me.
 

 
 
 
I got in to my knee length black funeral dress.
 
I braided my hair at least trying to look good.
 
People always mourn over some ancient grandmother which
i
never really understood.
 
But Rosa was only, well
i
guess she was a hundred and sixty, but this was different and not how she was supposed to end.
 
My heart still burst every time I thought about Tarun in her Victorian dress with that cruel smile mocking me.
 

 
 
 
“Ready to go?”
 
Carson asked grabbing my hand.

 
 
 
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
 

 
 
 
“Look, you need to stop thinking it was your fault.”

 
 
 
“I never said
that! “I
snapped.

 
 
 
“But I know you’re always thinking that.”

 
 
 
“Fine you win.” I said slamming the car door.

 
 
 
When we at last hit the road and Carson made me put my seat belt
on(
even though he didn’t)
 
I
turned
the radio on to classical music.
 
It just fit the mood.
 

 
 
 
“Have you ever been to a funeral?” I asked.

 
 
 
“I’d rather not talk about it.
 
What about you?”

 
 
 
“Ha, my cousin cat, but I was like five.”
 
This was a depressing subject so
i
decided to change it.
 
“Carson?”

 
 
 
He did that creepy thing where he didn’t even keep his eyes on the road.
 
“Leslie?”

 
 
 
“I’m only here for the summer and then I move back to California.
 
And what I’m really trying to say is-”

 
 
 
“
If
you have to move on with life while I continue to be an unnatural creature
that’s
stuck in this dull world forever.”

 
 
 
“You could turn me.” I suggested.

 
 
 
“No!” the windows literally shook.

 
 
 
“Then what?
 
I’m going to be a little eighty year old while you’re this gorgeous teenager?”

 
 
 
“Look we’ve only known each other for two months, what do other high school sweethearts do?”
 
Carson’s
voice was thick.

 
 
 
“This is different and you know this is different.
 
For god’s sake I’m still being hunted by those protectors or whatever the hell they are.
 
You can’t just walk off like this.
 
Look at me Carson!
 
You can’t.”

 
 
 
He hung his head still refusing to look at me and was silent for the rest of the way to the funeral.
 
The funeral was being held in the clans square.
 
We pulled in about five minutes late, got the bouquet of flowers, and rushed to the service.
 
Carson grabbed my hand and forced our way to the very front.
 
I spotted Loren, Dimitri, and, Regan scattered throughout the crowd.
 

 
 
 
The funeral was... different.
 
I was one of the few people wearing black.
 
Most wore dressy clothes but not black.
 
Most of the women and girls wore exotic makeup and strange hair, dyed and done up.
 
I noticed that there was no one under the age of sixteen.
 
Loren told me if you’re turned below sixteen you will grow and stop at that age but if you’re turned above that then you’re just that age.
 
Finally when the service was over everyone dispersed for a meal.
 

 
 
 
“Carson,
” I
whispered.
 
“Over here.”

 
 
 
The open casket was haunting me.
 
I knew I had to face it sooner or later.
 
Carson and I walked over to the body.
 
It looked as if Rosa was in a peaceful sleep.
 
She wore a long blue
gown that covered her neck wound, her eyelids were shut but her tattoo was... missing.
 
As if it was never there.
 
I really doubt they brought a dead body in to a shop to get a tattoo removed.
 

 
 
 
After a while my shoulder was being shook.
 
“Let’s go,
” Carson
whispered close to my ear.
 

 
 
 
I got up walking down the street.
 
House after house.
 
Devastat
ion came over me.
 
I picked up
a
random pot and slammed it against the ground.
 
Ceramic pieces flew everywhere.
 
I fell to my knees ripping my hair and screaming.
 
Then I started thrashing and pulling away from
someone’s
, Carsons, vice like grip that held me.
 
I soon gave up.
 
He sat me down on his lap upon a bench.
 
I
lie
my head atop his tattoo.
 
I didn’t want everything to see my face.
 
I just wanted to cry until my death...